More than five weeks after the plane carrying them crashed in a jungle, four indigenous children from Colombia were discovered alive in the country’s south, according to President Gustavo Petro.
The youngsters were discovered by the military close to the province boundary between Caqueta and Guaviare in Colombia, which is also where the little plane crashed.
“A joy for the whole country. The four children who were lost … in the Colombian jungle appeared alive,” Mr. Petro said in a Twitter message.
Seven passengers were on board the Cessna 206 when engine trouble was detected in the early hours of May 1 while the aircraft was flying between Araracuara in the Amazonas province and San Jose del Guaviare in the Guaviare region.
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In the collision, three adults—including the pilot—died. The 11-month-old baby and the three kids, who were ages 13, 9, and 4 were all saved. At the scene of the disaster, where the plane was practically vertical in the trees, the pilot, the mother of the children, and a local Indigenous leader were all discovered dead.
The children may have escaped the aircraft and ventured into the rain forest in search of assistance, according to preliminary information from the civil aviation authorities, which coordinated the rescue operations.
Later, officials said that the group had been escaping from armed group members’ threats. 160 soldiers and 70 Native Americans who were familiar with the jungle were searching for the child.
Rescuers discovered leftover fruit that the kids had been eating for survival as well as makeshift shelters fashioned of wild vegetation with the help of search dogs.
The region is home to drug trafficking organizations as well as jaguars, snakes, and other animals. The army and air force of Colombia’s planes and helicopters took part in the rescue efforts.
After announcing their rescue, Mr. Petro stated in Bogota, “Today we have had a magical day. They are weak. Let’s let the doctors make their assessment.”
The air force dropped 10,000 flyers with orders to remain put in Spanish and the children’s Indigenous language into the forest out of concern that the kids would keep getting lost and becoming harder to find.
In addition to providing survival advice, the military also dropped water bottles and food boxes.
Additionally, rescuers had been imploring the kids not to move using a message that had been recorded by the kids’ grandmother.
The youngsters were discovered by rescuers roughly five kilometers west of the accident site, according to the military. Hunting, fishing, and gathering are taught to Huitoto children. The children are familiar with the bush, according to their grandfather Fidencio Valencia, who spoke to AFP.
A resident of Araracuara who was taking part in the search, according to Mr. Valencia, found the kids.
“I need a helicopter or a flight to go get them immediately,” he stated.
According to officials, army rescuers “immediately took charge of and stabilized” the siblings before transferring them to San Jose del Guaviare.
Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez stated, “Depending on their medical evaluation and condition, we hope they will be transferred to Bogota, to the military hospital.”